David Warner, the explosive Australian cricketer, is renowned for his dynamic left-handed batting and a stellar career that includes leading Australia to victories in the 2015 Cricket World Cup and the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he earned Player of the Tournament honours.
Born on October 27, 1986, in Sydney, Warner made history as the first Australian in 132 years to debut internationally without first-class experience.
Beyond cricket, he’s an avid golfer, often seen swinging clubs during downtime, channeling his competitive spirit onto the fairways.
Warner also supports the Chappell Foundation, a charity founded by cricket legend Greg Chappell to aid homeless youth, reflecting his commitment to giving back.
In this Q&A with Inside Golf’s Andrew Crockett, conducted during the Chappell Foundation golf day at Capital Golf Club Melbourne, Warner shares his love for golf, how it complements his cricketing life, and why supporting the Chappell Foundation is close to his heart.
An avid golfer with a two-handicap, the NSW Golf Club, is Dave Warner’s happy golfing home.
When did you first play golf? Can you remember who got you into the game, how old you were?
I used to play as a kid, just had like a wedge back in the day at the back park. So when I was bored in the housing commission, I used to go and hit a wedge, probably 90 to 100 metres. And that was it.
I literally didn’t play a game of golf until I was 22 or 23, like a proper game, and then joined the Lakes Golf Course, and now New South Wales Golf Course is my home club. I’ve been there for four years now, which I really, really enjoy. I absolutely love it to bits.
As a kid, it was like with my cricket bat, I used to have my cricket bat and ball thrown against the wall and hit. Same with golf, I used to go down the park and just have targets and hit it with a wedge.
So, you’ve been playing proper golf now for nearly ten years?
Yeah, I was at the Lakes for 10 years, but New South Wales is my home. My lowest handicap is currently now. I’m down to 2.8. I left the Lakes at 12.6, I think it was, and my first round at New South Wales (as a member) gave me an extra five shots, so I was out to 18. My first four rounds there, I had 40 points plus, and yeah, I almost got barred from the club because of it, which is quite funny.
How good is NSW. Some great par 3s. Have you had a hole-in-one? As for a hole-in-one, I’ve never had one, been close.
Any good golf stories with Warnie or any of your other cricketing mates?
Golf stories with Warnie, not many…
I played one round with him, he was an absolute burglar. For a golfer who, I think his handicap was 10, you could never beat him. He rarely put a card in and I’m pretty sure he would just put down the Capital golf course and then fudge it. Golf stories with the cricketing boys, all I know is that all the boys are serious when we play. It’s more intense than when we play a game of cricket, to be fair, but we had a good Ryder Cup style matchplay at the 2023 World Cup when we won in India. That was exciting, we had a two-day Ryder Cup style format, which was fantastic. The boys were absolutely awesome, which is great.
Do you play many celebrity pro-ams or pro-ams at the bigger tournaments like the Australian Open?
The Celebrity Pro-Ams, I played in the Australian Open Pro-Am, I played with Matt Kuchar, which was unbelievable, that was so cool to see someone like him, who’s a champion, play my old home course, the Lakes. He just hit into parts of the course where I’m like, “wow, I’ve never seen anyone do that.”
That was very, very cool, and he was a really nice guy to me. I’ve got a lot of time for him. I’d like to play in the New Zealand Open, and then there’s an Arnold Palmer Invitational, I’d love to play in that, that’d be fantastic. And when I’m on tour, all we do is play golf. Absolutely love it.
Did you play much golf while on tour with cricket in the UK or India? What are some of the best courses you’ve played?
I’ve played a fair few courses over there in the UK. Queenwood, Beaverbrook, Sunningdale, Berkshire, a reciprocal at New South Wales. In India, Kalhaar Blues is a course where I first shot under par. I’ve gone four-under. Unbelievable course, very tough, very tight. DLF golf resort is a nice course over there too in India.
New Zealand, I love it over there. I’ve only played, Tara Iti, Tiara, Grange, which is now Royal Auckland. I’ve played Paraparaumu Beach, which is very, very difficult, but amazing course. That is where Tiger Woods played the New Zealand Open back in 2002. Craig Parry won and Woods finished sixth. Clearwater Bay is fantastic. I’ve played a fair few golf courses over there and I really enjoy it when I’m over there in NZ
David Warner was one of the most dynamic and exciting players in Australian cricket history.
Of all the cricketers you’ve golfed with, who are the best?
The best cricketers I’ve probably played with would be Ricky Ponting and Greg Blewett. They’re outstanding golfers. Obviously, they’ve got a lot of time now that they’re retired, to practice their golf. But, yeah, they hit the ball unbelievably well. Mitchell Stark hits the ball long.
Do you see any crossover between the mental aspects of top-level cricket and golf?
The aspects of cricket and golf, yeah, there’s a lot of mental side to it. And that’s why a lot of the guys play it, because it’s one sport that you cannot perfect. And I think that’s crucial when it comes to cricket. Your mind has always got to be clear. If you hit a bad shot or a shank, you want to get that out of your head before you get to the next shot. I think that’s the same as like playing and missing or getting dropped as well. So I think that’s a great aspect to it. And the best thing is for test cricket, time on your feet. That’s the best way to actually prepare for a test match, especially four days in the field.
The recent Chappell Foundation charity day at Capital Golf Club raised money for youth homelessness, such a worthwhile cause.
The Chappell Foundation golf day was fantastic. And I think, when I grew up in the housing commission, I saw a lot of youth homelessness. You know, it’s sad. People get brought up in some broken families, it’s not great. It’s not ideal. But obviously, the person’s circumstances dictate that as well. It’s a sad thing in society to see that.
You know, it’s not a perfect world out there. But, what the Foundation does for these kids and the care they provide is absolutely fantastic. I’m a great believer in people like Greg Chappell and the Foundation, the people that work for Greg have special, special hearts. Amazing people to think about this and to help them out. And 99 percent of those donations, gets donated to excellent initiatives like BackTrack. It is inspiring how Greg has enabled that.
Tell us a bit about the craft beer you’ve launched.
St. Andrew’s Beach Brewery started in 2018 when I sort of had that year off with Australian cricket.
A couple of mates, very close friends, I call them family now, got me involved. Me and Candice went down and had a look at the brewery and was just like, this is a no-brainer. You know, 96 acres, 6-7,000 cider trees, you know, one of its kind in Australia. European apples. It’s an amazing orchard that we have there as well. The venue is amazing. We do probably 3,000 people a day through there. It’s very busy. We’ve got a lot of SKUs, large parlours, IPAs, got some stouts, seltzers, you name it. And we’ve got a venue at Melbourne Libby Park as well, which is fantastic, which is awesome as the centrepiece there. We really enjoy that. It’s a great place for people to come before events, to come with kids before the footy, just to get in and amongst and have some pre-dinner and even sit there and watch the game. We encourage everyone to come there, spend some time there and enjoy it.
Brendo, Hunter and Stephanous, with their dogs are Blue, Brooklyn and Lago. One of BackTrack’s core initiatives, is getting the youth to care for their own dog. The dogs pick the kids and they sure know what they’re doing.
The Chappell Foundation – Helping kids get back on track
THE Chappell Foundation has been an essential funder of the unique youth work organisation, BackTrack, for nearly eight years. BackTrack was founded in Armidale, NSW, by Bernie Shakeshaft with just a shed, a handful of volunteers, and a mission to keep some of the toughest kids alive, out of jail, and chasing their hopes and dreams.
Today, they are nationally recognised for their holistic approach to youth work, which has helped countless young people turn their lives around.
These are kids who have nowhere else to go and no options left. Most have been kicked out of school or are completely disengaged from education. Many have already been in and out of incarceration. They often struggle with literacy, making it difficult to find employment or even access basic necessities like a driver’s licence or birth certificate. All have experienced trauma and are stuck in dangerous cycles. Some, as young as 11 or 12, are sleeping rough or couch-surfing.
Recognising these challenges, The Chappell Foundation quietly provides funds for BackTrack’s main home, Warrah, which houses up to 10 young people at a time in Armidale. Warrah includes a main house offering a fully supervised, home-like environment, along with four tiny homes that the kids helped build, providing a stepping stone toward independent living.
Winners are grinners at The Chappell Foundation Golf Day (Greg Chappell second from right).
BackTrack understands that young people can’t engage in education, training, or essential services if they don’t have a safe place to stay. Since The Chappell Foundation began funding Warrah House, BackTrack has been able to provide that security and opportunity for dozens of young people. This stability allows them to take full advantage of BackTrack’s ecosystem of support, which includes; ‘Classroom on Wheels,’ the extensive ‘Paws Up’ program with a pack of 30plus working dogs, a fabrication shed for trade skills, the social enterprise BackTrack Works, and the newly established BackTrack farm, Cubba Cubbah.
Some young people stay at Warrah for just a few days or weeks during a crisis, while others stay for years. The approach is simple: ‘Whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.’ Much like a family, one former resident – now in his mid-20s – has even returned on weekends as a casual youth worker, providing powerful role modelling for the next generation.
A good day was had by all at the recent golf day, with funds raised supporting the Chappell Foundation in helping kids get back on track.
BackTrack founder Bernie Shakeshaft says that beyond providing essential physical needs, Warrah offers something even more valuable – a sense of belonging. This is evident at regular dinners with current and past residents, some of whom now have their own kids and jobs. There’s even a volunteer Nana, Nanny Marg, who drops by to teach the kids how to cook.
Greg Chappell.
This is the gold that The Chappell Foundation has helped inject into young people’s lives, and it pays dividends for the whole community. Thanks to their support, BackTrack isn’t just changing lives—it’s transforming communities, one young person at a time.
To learn more about BackTrack and Warrah, visit www.backtrack.org.au, where you can find the feature documentary ‘BackTrack Boys’ and more.
– Andrew Crockett
